title: Macrophages as APC and the dendritic cell myth.
abstract: Dendritic cells have been considered an immune cell type that is specialized for the presentation of Ag to naive T cells. Considerable effort has been applied to separate their lineage, pathways of differentiation, and effectiveness in Ag presentation from those of macrophages. This review summarizes evidence that dendritic cells are a part of the mononuclear phagocyte system and are derived from a common precursor, responsive to the same growth factors (including CSF-1), express the same surface markers (including CD11c), and have no unique adaptation for Ag presentation that is not shared by other macrophages.
authors.affiliation: The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. David.Hume@roslin.ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hume
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers